The present invention generally relates to stress monitoring, and more specifically, to real-time continuous stress monitoring using consumer wearable devices.
Unmanaged sustained high levels of stress can lead to serious adverse consequences. For instance, stress is a leading risk factor for many common chronic medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression. Moreover, evidence of the adverse impact of stress on health is increasing. Stress response can be highly individualistic and, thus, monitoring and assessing the impact of stress are not suited to a “one-size-fits all” approach. What qualifies as a stressor and the perception of what amounts to stress can vary widely from one individual to the next. For example, some people, but not all people, become stressed in public speaking situations. Moreover, the degree to which a stressor negatively impacts an individual can be highly personalized. Thus, effective characterization of stress in daily life presents several challenges.
Stress assessment techniques based upon questionnaires and self-reporting can provide some information on the stress level of an individual to aid in stress management. However, such techniques provide information of a particular time span, rather than the dynamic progression of stress over time.
Stress monitoring and management studies employ a variety of equipment. In some cases, specialized devices, such as skin conductance sensors, can provide detailed and/or dynamic information regarding stress levels. However, such equipment can be specialized, costly, and in some cases invasive. Thus, stress monitoring and management studies that seek to obtain information concerning stress over a time span can require a specialized laboratory setting or can be cumbersome, impractical, or cost-prohibitive for an individual to use.